


Uncle Kol

by JadelynDeath



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Elijah is paternal, F/M, Hope is a rebellious teenager, Jackson is Hope's stepdad, Kol is a ghost, One-Shots, Post 2x14, Uncle Kol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-03-14 19:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3422726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadelynDeath/pseuds/JadelynDeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hope Mikaelson has never had a shortage of family to protect her, to comfort her, or defend her. But none of them truly understood what she went through as the princess of New Orleans, not until she met Kol. Series of One-shots about Hope and Kol's misadventures.</p>
<p>Chronological chapter order: 2, 3, 5, 1, 6</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sneak Out

 

Hope Mikaelson was angry. This was nothing new; she was always angry about something. Her mom said it was because of the wolf in her, and to blame her father's family. Her father blames her mother and Hope just blames them all. The last time she was angry, Uncle Elijah suggested that she should write down all the things that got her angry, and that way she can see how either trivial they are, or how she can get around them. Last time she ignored him, put a hole through the wall, and got grounded for a week, so this time she's decided to take his advice.

Hope's Anger List:

1\. Uncle Elijah's stupid idea

2\. It's raining and 86 degrees and January

3\. James won't return my calls

4\. Dad's being a dick

5\. Mom and Jackson have abandoned me

6\. Davina cancelled magic classes

7\. Mom was a total bitch this morning

8\. Aunt Bex is in Milan and too busy to talk to me

9\. Uncle Elijah is making frowny faces over my shoulder and putting me off. I am trying to be angry here goddamn it!

 

Elijah snatched the pen from Hope's hand and hits her on the back of the head with it. "Hope, there is no need for that kind of language."

"What kind of language? Honesty?"

"Hope..." She turned and glared at her least favorite uncle,

"Dad _is_ , mom _was_ and this _is_ stupid. Why can't I just go to the party with everyone else?"

"Because you are thirteen years old and it's a college party. Your parents are being perfectly sensible about it."

"I though uncles were supposed to be cool, but it would appear that the stick rammed up your ass is even longer than the one in dads. I bet Marcel would let me."

"Hope Mikaelson!" Elijah hissed at her, "we both know that he wouldn't, and for that you are grounded young lady. For a month. You are not going to Ryan's house, you are not going to Camile's and you are most certainly not going to that party." She crossed her arms and stood up, yellow eyes burning. "You are however going to your room."

"Screw you!" she yelled, and ran hybrid speed to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Hope wasn't angry now, she was pissed.

       

"Now what's all that yelling for love?" She rolled over from where she'd thrown herself on the bed to look at the ghost leaning by her window.

"Dad's being a dick, Uncle Elijah's being a dick, Mom's being a bitch, Aunt Bex doesn't care, Uncle Jackson and Aunt Davina abandoned me and now Uncle Elijah's grounded me." Kol laughed and Hope threw a pillow at him. "It's not funny, they don't get it."

"They always were sticks in the mud, your family." And the smirk on his face as he said the word stick made her know that he was eavesdropping. "Now why don't you tell your favorite uncle all about it?"

"James invited me to a party at his cousin's dorm and all my friends are going but dad says that I'm too young. I'm a teenager for fucks sake, I can look after myself."

"Isn't James the wimpy one that you compelled to eat dirt last year?"

"No, that was Alex."

"Which one's James then?"

"The one you said looks like a goat." She was unimpressed by Kol's snicker, and told him so. "Now are you going to help me sneak out or what?"

"What sort of benevolent spirit would I be if I didn't help out my favorite niece? How do you want to do this?"

"I'm grounded, so I believe a spell to make him think that I've gone to sleep will be most effective, maybe an illusion?"

"And if he come's looking for you and realises that it's not real?"

"I could go and tell him now that I don't want to be disturbed by his ugly face for the rest of the month, that'd keep him away."

"When was the last time you spoke to him directly after an argument. He'd see straight through you."

"Then what do I do?"

"I'd suggest nothing. He's grounded you for a month, so listen to him for tonight. Stay in here and cry and scream that you hate him and everyone and that you'll turn into a wolf and slaughter the city if he doesn't let you go out. You might hate the guy but he loves you. He'd never be able to see you like that for long."

"So our amazing plan for me to go to the party is to miss the party?"

"Exactly." Hope groaned and flopped back on her bed.

"I thought you were meant to be the rebellion genius. That idea sucks bigger than the time you suggested I stop using magic so that my parents would start letting me do it..." He was quiet for a moment and then the snarl that escaped her lips told Kol he'd been caught. "You agree with them."

"It's a college party Wolfie, where college kids go to get drunk and laid and arrested. Did you have plans to get drunk tonight?"

"Not really,"

"What about laid? You planning on having sex with Goat Boy?"

"Eww, no!"

"Oohh, so you want to get arrested and for your dear old dad to come and bail you out."

"I don't want to do those things. I just want to have fun with my friends." But she knew her argument was failing. "Screw you Uncle Kol." The ghost just laughed at her.

 

Hope liked labels. A werewolf was a werewolf, a vampire was a vampire and hybrids were hybrids; female hybrids are essentially female wolves, so destined to be bitches whereas male hybrids exist to piss on everything and sleep with random females, hence a dick. Hope was very proud of this thinking, having decided that it made perfect sense, unlike how she could have been chosen to have to suffer this family. Another label she had was for those people related to her that was not her parents and that she didn't like; aunt and uncle. Uncle Finn tried to kill her and succeeded in killing Kol. Uncle Elijah was a stuck up dick who insisted upon acting like her father. 'Uncle' Jackson was a traitor who never stood up for her against her mom, even when they both knew she was being a bitch. Aunt Bex stopped caring the first time Hope had called her a slut; Aunt Davina never cared and Aunt Camille cared too much. The only members of her family she did not refer to regularly as uncles, were Marcel, and Kol. So when she said those words Kol knew he had won for sure. 

"What are we going to do tonight then? When Uncle Elijah isn't listening I mean."

"Blackjack?"

"You already owe me three packets, but okay." She agreed and Kol sat down letting her fetch the cards and a bag of M&Ms. His niece was scarily good at cards, and if he weren't a ghost he would have accused her of reading his mind. "I'm dealing."

 

* * *

 

 

Elijah was mildly confused when Hope resurfaced from her room for dinner in a somewhat agreeable mood. She glared at him and refused to speak to her father but she ate without mutilating her food or stabbing any of the servers with her steak knife. She ate lightly though, and turned down dessert. Klaus shared a look with his older brother as she slunk back upstairs with a grunt goodnight to Marcel.

"How long till she leaves, do you think?" Klaus asked him, and he shrugged.

"I give it an hour." But an hour passed and when they went to check on her she remained there, sitting on the floor playing cards by herself.

"Having fun?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to watch a movie or something?"

"Not really." Klaus was suspicious, as was Elijah,

"Hope, what year were you born in?"

"Who cares?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Like it matters." They were the same pre-programmed responses from the last time she had sneaked out and set a spell.  Klaus smirked at Elijah and approached her, sensing the illusion. Once behind her, he swiped with the intention of passing through her head and dispelling the illusion. Hope went flying and slammed into the bed, crying out in pain. Klaus stepped back in shock.

"What the hell Dad?!" She gripped the side of her head, which was bleeding profusely. "What the fucking hell?!" she repeated before passing out. Klaus and Elijah darted forward and held her as the vampire blood she was born with healed her. Klaus moved her onto her bed, guilt swelling in him. Se came around slowing and glaring, not at her father or Elijah, but at the otherwise unseen spirit howling in laughter behind them,

"Great plan genius!"

 

 


	2. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope meets Kol

The first time Hope met her Uncle she was eight. Her parents were busy dealing with ruling the city, and as her magic was picking up in strength they had decided to leave her in the care of her Aunt Davina for a few days while they sorted out an issue involving something they deemed not necessary to explain to the child. On this particular day in late June, Hope had taken it upon herself to do some exploring.

Davina had some sort of spell to do and so they were in the cemetery for the morning. Hope was excited; she was rarely allowed to Lafayette Cemetery, her parents deemed it dangerous. But they weren't there and she would get to have fun while Davina did her spell. Her aunt had put up a boundary spell so that Hope didn't leave and told her to keep out if the way.Hope was happy to comply, and ran off into the maze of tombs.

It took her a two hours of running between the graves and reading all the different names before she got bored, and went in search if her aunt again.  
"I wouldn't do that love." Hope removed her hand from the door of the Claire tomb and spun to stare at the man. He leaned against the tomb opossite her.  
"Why not?!" Hope demanded of the stranger, arms folding across her chest. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he gave her a wary look.  
"Because there's a witch in there doing some very complicated stuff, now run along." She just kept looking at him.  
"I know there's a witch in there, she's my aunt. Who are you?" He tilted his head to peer down at her. 

"Really? Who are you?"

"Someone who asked first."

"I'm an old friend of your aunt's, now who are you?"

Hope's eyes narrowed and she have him a very unimpressed glare.  
"Fine, I guess that makes me your old friend's niece." The stranger laughed and flicked his dark brown hair from his eyes.  
"This is getting us nowhere. Hello young lady, my name's Kol Mikael-" her high pitched squeak cut him off. She had lost all air of annoyance, instead she gaze at him with shocked awe covering her features. "What's wrong? Davina been telling stories about me?"

The small girl swallowed and shook her head slowly. After a few false starts she managed to get out a single word, and instantly Kol's expression mirrored her own. "Hope."

 

* * *

 

 

Kol still couldn't believe his eyes. Here she was, his niece, the girl they'd all fought so hard for, sitting at the foot of a gravestone talking to him. Looking at him. Seeing him.

"So if you're my Uncle Kol, that means you're dead."

"Very perceptive of you, so much like your father."

"No I'm not." She shook her head sadly, "but we're not talking about that right now. If you're dead, how come I can see you?" 

"Good question. This is the first time I've talked to anyone since I died, I don't know how you can see me when no one else can." He told her honestly. It felt incredible to speak with someone again, even 8 year olds with too much attitude.

"Maybe its because I'm a witch and we're family. Our magic is all connected and we all share a special bond. we're Mikaelsons." She recited it as though it were not her own words, and the bored edge to her tone told him it probably wasn't. It sounded like an Elijah lesson.

"Maybe," but he didn't look convinced. "Or maybe Davina is working on something down there that's affecting us." They looked at each other and shrugged in unison.

 

* * *

 

 

Whatever the reason, it wasn't Davina. An hour later, (almost 4 since she'd told an 8 year old to occupy herself in a graveyard), Davina found Hope sitting on the ground playing naughts and crosses in the dirt with a stick.

"Hey, what have you been up to all day?" Hope looked to her left and grinned as she marked an X and completed a row. She ignored the indignant cries of Kol and answered her aunt.

"This is a graveyard. I've been hanging out with ghosts."


	3. An Emotional Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope spends an emotional roller coaster of a day with Hayley and Jackson, and something impossible happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There isn't too much plot to this one, just something I can see happening to Hope. Thanks to everyone who has given this story Kudos, your support means so much and is the main reason I'm finally updating.

She smirked as Kol held up three fingers on his left hand and two on his right. Her step-dad's apparent full house was good. Unfortunately for Jackson though, her own hand beat him with its straight flush.   
"I see your 100 and raise you two fifty." She shoved the chips into the middle.   
Jackson sighed and folded, leaning back in his chair to watch the 11 year old pull the chips towards her in victory.   
"How? How do you do it?" He grabbed her cards and inspected then for tampering.   
"I'm just lucky I guess. Shall we play again?"   
"No thanks, I'm out of chips and I'm already in your debt a hundred times over. I'm going for a drive, bother your mother or something." He stood up and stalked outside. Hope just shrugged at his retreating form, snapped a pic of the end game and then cleared away the poker set.

"Maybe you should let him win a couple before you clear him out?" Kol suggested from his perch. "Or at least try and play without my help."  
"No thanks, he's just being a sore loser. Where's Mom?"  
"In the kitchen. You might want to avoid her for a while though, she just got off the phone to Nik."  
"And you didn't tell me?"  
"Your parents are allowed to have private conversations you know."   
In the end she retreated to her bedroom. The weather was too bad to start an argument she wouldn't be able to escape.

Her room in her Mom's house was far smaller than that in her Dad's. It was more sparsely filled too, for all that she spent so much more time there. She lay on her bed and pulled Curly out from under her pillow. Curly was a very raggedy looking stuffed wolf that she'd had for as long as she could remember. She tucked him under her arm and grabbed her book; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Kol laid down beside her and she imagined, not for the first time, snuggling into him. Oh how she wished he were more than a ghost. 

Hayley came upstairs some time later to find Hope asleep on the edge of her bed. The girl hugged Curly tight and there were tear tracks on her cheeks. Hayley didn't notice the book, which had been flung across the room the second that Sirius entered the veil. So she didn't realise that the tears that still dampened her pillow were formed out of sorrow for the character. So instead of leaving the girl to sleep, she took up residence on the other side of the bed and pulled her to her. 

"Mm?" The sleepy child questioned 20 minutes later.   
"What happened sweetheart?" Hope woke enough to realise her mother was here instead of Kol. She pointed in the rough direction of the book, letting Hayley realise what was going on.   
"S-Sirius d-died." Hayley couldn't help it, she sighed. Exasperated.   
"Is that all? I could have told you that."  
"All? Is that all?!" Hope sat up and stared at her mother. "He was Harry's only real family left! And now he's gone and Harry has no blood relatives that actually love him! He can never leave the Dursleys now! He can never get hugged by his godfather again!" She was shouting now, which brought Jackson up to her room.

"What's going on?"  
"Hope is upset because some character in her book died. I thought she was upset about something real."  
"Oh." He stood there awkwardly as Hope glared at her mother, tears flowing down her cheeks. Hayley was torn between scolding her daughter for worrying her, and comforting her.   
"I'll be downstairs if you, you know, need me." He retreated and Mother and daughter sat beside each other on the bed. 

"Sorry for worrying you." Hope said after several moments of silence.   
"Sorry for saying that about Sirius. He was a good guy."  
"He would have been a terrible guardian. But he still could have been one."  
"Honey, people die every day. You have to grow accustomed to learning about other peoples losses. It's sad but you move on."  
"But what if I can't? What if something happens and I lose all of you too?"  
"I'm a Hybrid, the pack is protected and your Dad and his family... You know that nothing can hurt them."  
"Then how did Uncle Kol die? He isn't very forthcoming." Hayley assumed 'He' was Klaus.   
"Kol was killed by a white oak stake. All of which have been destroyed? So you'll never have to lose anyone you care about."

Hope kept her eyes locked on Curly. Because her mother hadn't said anyone ELSE. She'd said anyone. Because her mother didn't know that Kol Mikaelson had been loving and caring about Hope since that day in the graveyard. Hayley didn't know that Hope cared about Kol more than she would ever care about her stepfather's pack. But Hope couldn't hold it against her, so she hugged her mother back. Hayley leaned into her only child's grasp, and gasped. 

Hope stared as her mom launched off the bed and vamped out at the vampire sitting on the old rocking chair. The noise drew Jackson to the room where he found his wife staring confused at the empty chair, fangs still out.   
"What happened?"  
"There was a vampire. He was right there, smiling at us."  
"I didn't see anything." Hope said shakily, knowing in her heart that somehow, impossibly, illogically, if only for an instant, Hayley had seen Kol.   
"I don't smell any vampires, was it someone you knew?"  
"No, he seemed kinda familiar, but I don't remember where from."  
"I didn't see him." Hope repeated loudly. Hayley looked at her.   
"Are you sure?"  
"Maybe you imagined it. I can't smell anything either." Hayley slowly nodded, conceding. It had to have been a dream. "Can we have dinner now?"


	4. Truth and Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late one Saturday afternoon, at a tiny kitchen table in a New Orleans appartment, truth comes to light.

Chapter 4

"Aunt Davina?"  
"Yes Hope."  
"Before the other side went down, did you know anybody who could... See through the veil?"  
"You mean did I know anyone who could see ghosts?"  
"Yeah."  
"Not personally. I think your Dad and his family met someone before though. Before they came to New Orleans there was this person who had died and been resurrected, he could contact the spirits. And of course witches sometimes are contacted by their ancestors. Why do you ask?"  
"No reason. Well... Not exactly no reason... It doesn't matter. Forget I asked." 

Davina closed her book and look at her surrogate niece. Hope did her the honour of closing her book too.   
"Hope, that is the first time you have asked me a direct question since I got back from New York. It must be about something."  
"It's nothing, really. Besides, you only got back a couple of days ago."  
"A) don't lie to me young lady and B) it's been three weeks." Hope glanced at the calendar that hung in Davina's kitchen and shrugged.

She refused to meet her Aunt's eyes and moved to go back to her book when she felt the familiar presence behind her shoulder.   
"Tell her."  
Davina cleared her throat, concerned as Hope zoned out for the umpteenth time that day.  
"I've been seeing things. People that no one else seems to notice. It's not often, usually when I'm distracted or lonely. Sometimes they're people who I know are meant to be dead."

\---///---///----////----////----////----

Hope groaned and rolled her shoulders. After admitting to Davina that she saw ghosts, the witch had taken her straight to the cemetery. An hour later and she was still getting interrogated.  
"When did you say this started?"  
"When I was eight. You made me wait outside here for hours. I told you then, but you laughed."  
"That was the day I had to redo the boundary spell here. Honey, why didn't you say anything sooner?"  
"Because I was scared. And I liked being the only one that knew. It was my own special secret." Hope looked at the ground ashamed. 

She knew she should have told her family about Kol years ago, but she knew what would happen if she did. She wouldn't have been Hope any more, she would have been Kol's mouthpiece. Then they would have brought him back from the dead and he wouldn't be Her Kol any more. It was selfish, she knew that. But Kol was the only person who really knew her. 

Davina sighed.   
"I guess you don't want your parents finding out about this?" Hope brightened and shook her head. Davina nodded. "Then they won't hear it I from me. From what I've seen there was no exact cause for it. The boundary spell might have been a factor, but I don't see how. You don't appear to be in any danger from this, so I'm not going to tell your parents. But you have to promise me that if you feel in any way unsafe around these ghosts, you tell me. Understand?" Hope nodded, more thankful to her aunt in that moment than she had been in memory.  
"Thank you Davina. Can we go back to your place now? I'm hungry."

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---  
Davina's POV  
\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

On the drive back to Davina's house she kept glancing at the girl in the seat beside her. Hope was obviously relieved that Davina had agreed to keep this from her parents and it made her sad. What kind of child didn't want their parents to know them? If Davina's parents had been around more, she would have told them everything from the second she discovered her powers. In fact she had told them when she first started to access her magic. 

She knew there had to more that Hope wasn't telling her. She hadn't said any names of any of the ghosts, and she'd refused to go into details.   
"No thanks." The woman looked at the teenager, trying to figure out if she'd said anything aloud and not noticed. Then realisation hit her, Hope was speaking to a ghost.  
"Hope, is there a ghost in my car?" The sideways smirk she received told her all.  
"Maybe. Maybe not. You can never know for sure."  
"Hope Mikaelson!"  
"What? I'm allowed to talk to myself.  
There's no law against it."  
"Yourself huh? And what did you offer yourself that you declined?"  
"That is between me, myself and I."  
"You're making the most of this, aren't you?"  
"Of course I am. What sort of Mikaelson would I be if I didn't go about lording my power over everyone?"

 

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---  
Kol's POV  
\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

Kol hadn't stopped talking to her since she had told Davina she sees ghosts. Whether he had been telling her what to say or just murmuring reassurements, he hadn't left her side. He could see that Hope was no where near as comfortable with her Aunt knowing as she acted. He knew and understood why she'd never told any one before. But he was growing tired of being a ghost; he missed human interactions, he missed doing magic and drinking blood and alcohol and he missed the company of women. There were a few other ghosts in the shadow world where he now existed. It wasn't the other side, but it was still lonely and barren. 

He hoped that today's events were just the beginning. That soon Hope would find it in herself to tell her parents about her power. And in time they'd be able to set him free, one way or another.


	5. Chameleon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the words of Natasha Romanoff, the truth isn't all things, to all people, all the time. And neither is Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A (brief) summary of a 12 year old Hope's personalities, as seen through the eyes of those who know her. 
> 
> This doesn't have much plot to it, but I felt that I needed to clear up a few things about Hope and the relationships she has with her family. Thanks to everyone who has kudosed and/or reviewed.

Chapter 5 

Hope Mikaelson was an odd child. All the teacher's at Trinity School said so. She wasn't a bad student, in fact she was a very intelligent child, but she also acted too old for her 12 years. Most people blamed her family and home life, or what little they knew of it. She was the Princess of the French Quarter. Everyone knew the epithet, but not a single other student of the small private elementary and middle school knew why she gained it. Why was she picked up every day by a man in a suit who she only ever called E? Or why, for a month when she was 11 was she accompanied by a body guard at all times? Or why she always scored 100% on tests and class work but never did her homework? 

She was polite and courteous to all the adults, but she was short tempered with her classmates. She had few friends. A few of the girls would invite her to sleepovers or parties she was never allowed to attend. There was a boy, James, who followed her around like a puppy and would talk to her non-stop. But she mostly just responded in one word answers when required.

Other than James she was a solitary child, but never appeared to be lonely. Her teachers would watch her in the playground, the times when James would be called away to play kickball or fugitive. She would happily sit there talking her imaginary friend. Caleb she called him sometimes. He would tell her jokes and stories and she would recount them to the guidance counsellor the school provided her. Other than still having her imaginary friend at the age of 12, she was a happy and quiet child. So despite being odd, they let her continue as she was. It was how God made her, the Reverend/principal said. Happy, but odd.

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

For the child of Hayley Marshall and Klaus Mikaelson, Hope was normal. She was spoilt yes, and the Mikaelson complex did shine through when she was in a bad mood, but she was normal. She would play games with the other children of the pack. She would join the adults' card games in the early evening. She would help her great-grandma Mary bake and cook. She did archery with her stepdad and read books with her dad and would go for walks with her mom. 

She was friendly and chatty and happy to talk to anybody. She would make witty jokes and had a very sparse knowledge of pop culture. She could paint and sing and play the piano. She could also do spells and had speed and strength to rival some of the younger wolves. She was a vampire. A werewolf. A witch. She was a member of the crescent pack and would always be their family. 

Sometimes she would retreat into herself. Walk into the bayou for hours and emerge still lost in thought, but she was a wolf, a hybrid; so even more constantly in touch with her inner animal than the evolved werewolves. They let it go because what child raised in the Abattoir wouldn't need fresh air and free time some time. So yeah, she was normal.

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

She wasn't his daughter. That was what Elijah had to keep reminding himself. He may feel fatherly towards her but the temperamental and infuriating child who continuously refused to obey him was not his responsibility. It was not up to him to discipline her, no matter how much she deserved it. Hope hated her Uncle Elijah. He didn't know why but from what he could tell, she had always hated him. She never obeyed, she cooperated reluctantly. If they were in public she would treat him like some sort of manservant and deny relation. 

She was impulsive and manipulative and her father's daughter through and through. But he couldn't help but feel responsible for her. She was his little angel despite her hatred for him. He loved her as he loved Rebekah. The violent and cruel demonic angel that he cared for beyond reason. She was her mother's daughter too, for all that he shuddered at the idea. Hope embodied all the vengeful parts of her mother. The parts that Elijah liked to pretend weren't part of her. The wolf. And that wolf was not his daughter.

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

Hope was Kol reincarnated. Rebekah was sure of it. She started out sweet enough. A polite little angel to certain people, a cold monster to others *cough*Elijah*cough*. But the older she got and the more her sense of humour matured, she began to sound just like her late uncle. Her humour was, admittedly, funny but it was also dark. She saw the funny side of pain in a way that made Rebekah worry. As vampires, human suffering was unimportant and a source of entertainment; had they unwittingly passed that on to Hope? Had Rebekah herself been to blame?

Hope also, to Bex's outrage, developed Kol's attitude towards Rebekah's own love life. She made comments and innocent remarks about Rebekah's night life and if she saw her return in last nights clothes; childish and naive remarks that could be passed off as simple childish observations. But she would also ask other questions on those mornings. What is a strumpet? What does slut mean? Why don't you and your friend ever plan your slumber parties ahead of time? These too could be passed off as naive if it weren't for the small smirk that always accompanied them. It was a smirk that until Hope showed up, was only ever seen on Kol's face. Despite the generation gap, Kol and Hope could be twins. 

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

Hope knew that she was rather inconsistent in her personality. There were simply sides of herself that she refused to let certain people see. It meant that no one aside from Kol ever saw her true self, but she was fine with that. 

Uncle Elijah only ever took notice of her inner wolf, so she only showed him the animal's rage. Her classmates were immature children, so she did what she could to distance herself from them. Her Aunt Bex was the only one to see the effects Kol had had on her over the last four years, so her best friend and confidante's behaviour is what Hope emulated whenever her aunt was near. She did her best to behave like the other young un-triggered wolves, whenever her mother and stepfather dragged her out to the bayou. 

Kol had mentioned it once, one summer night when she was 11. She was a chameleon, he'd said. She changed her coat to suit what was expected of her. However instead of doing it to fit in, to hide, she used it as a weapon. People tended to underestimate her, if they only ever saw what was expected. Rebekah was shocked when Hope showed a sensitive side, Elijah was always thrown when his niece showed kindness or forgiveness. On the rare occasions she asked to join in games, or stood out and gave orders, her peers (at school or among the pack respectively) would be thrown off balance enough to submit to her will. 

It worked for her, she decided. To be whatever people expected her to be. She didn't need anybody else to see the real her; she had Kol, after all. 

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

Kol her saw through her bravado and anger. He could see the pain that etched at her soul whenever her family failed to accept that she could be more than who they envisioned her as.  
So Kol waited.  
He listened to every confession, helped her when she needed it and picked up the pieces when her plans inevitably fell apart. He had never been a patient human, vampire or witch; but his time beyond the grave taught him to appreciate the quiet moments, to enjoy the little things and that childhood, however fleeting, was not to be rushed.

Hope would need to shed her chameleon ways if she was ever to tell anyone about their connection. But she wasn't ready to make that selfless choice, and so he was patient. He only hoped she would one day be brave enough to do what would be necessary.


	6. Hope Has Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short instalment in the misadventures of Hope Michaelson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a row, woot woot. This one is rather short but is something I've had sitting around for a while. Takes place when Hope is 16.
> 
> Once again, thank you all so much for your support.

Chapter 6

Hope felt a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and kept reading. The hand returned, this time slung over both her shoulders. She tried to duck away but he held her fast.  
"Hope. How can you expect to get us back if you don't talk to me?"  
"I don't want to get back. That's why I left in the first place." James sighed and retracted his arm.   
"Your family really can't be that bad. Look, we can ring my grandpa and get him to send us through the money. We can be on a plane back to NOLA tomorrow."  
"If you want to go, you can go. But I'm sick and tired of my family always trying to tell me what I want to do!" 

She closed her book and slipped under the covers.   
"I'm going to sleep, and in the morning I'll figure out where I'm going next. Goodnight." She turned out the light. James joined her, still trying to decide how he would face Mr Mikaelson when they finally went home.

\---///---///----////----///-----////----

Her 16th birthday had been the final straw that had broken Hope's reserve. Her Dad and Uncle Elijah had gotten into a fist fight and they'd had to compel all of Hope's friends to forget that they'd seen her impossibly young father throw his brother through a wall. The fight had started because Klaus refused to let Hope dance with Logan, a boy from her class. Elijah told him that it was impolite to decline a request to dance and that Hope needed to learn proper etiquette and things had digressed from there. However that wasn't really important. 

What mattered was the fact that two days later Hope compelled several people to max out their credit cards to supply her with enough cash to leave town. The teenaged hybrid had packed a bag, snuck out of the house and kidnapped her best friend. They were currently in a motel room in Richmond, Virginia. 

\---///---///---///---///---///---///---

James finished his bagel while Hope scoffed her eighth bag of Cheetos. They poured over a map of the states that Hope had commandeered from a gas station.   
"What about this one, McKinley Virginia?" Hope shook her head.  
"My dad knows people there. I say we head further north west."  
"To keep up with the Kardashians? Why don't we go back south? I've always wanted to visit Florida; we could pretend it's like spring breakers."  
"Too hot. And too close to Louisiana." Hope knew that the spells that stopped her from being located would only do so much against Freya, who had made them. "The further we are the better, I'm thinking Alaska."

James scoffed and jerked his head towards the pocket atlas on the table (another of Hope's acquirements).  
"Why stop there? Let's go to China!" As soon as the words left his mouth he realised his mistake. "Hope, no! We are not leaving this country! I was being sarcastic." But her eyes glinted with ideas.  
"China is too hard to move around - lots of security checks." Plus vervain was introduced into their cuisine by some over zealous hunters. "Not Australia. It's too obvious. But why not South America? Argentina! Right down the bottom, it won't be too hot. Plenty of places to hide. And the border checks will be minimal." 

"Hope Mikaelson! In case you haven't noticed we're about an hour away from bankruptcy and I'm pretty sure my Grandpa won't support a trip to ARGENTINA! You're escaping your parents, not running from the CIA."  
"Exactly. Which means we can go to a country that has extradition and it doesn't matter."  
"Hope, I don't think you're listening to me here. I'm telling you that I want to go back to New Orleans, where I can apologise to your family for going along with this stupid plan. If you don't go back yourself I will call my Grandpa but it won't be to send us money, it'll be to tell your parents to come and get us." Hope turned to glare at him and he shut his eyes. "And don't you fucking dare use your mind tricks on me."   
"Urgh! Like I would bother."

She threw the map to the ground and flopped on the bed.   
"It's just, my whole life my parents have been telling me what to, how to act, how to think. I'm sick of being the pawn in their pointless games. We're meant to be a family, not bloody congress." Her voice broke, showing that she was as defeated as she sounded.   
"Hope, I'm not going to pretend that being you is easy. But you do have it better than some. You make the perfect pawn because every single member of your screwed up household would die for you. They love you."   
"I know. Which is why hating them is so hard. I need you to tell me that I'm doing the right thing. That I deserve to be free from them."

James lay down beside her and she curled into his embrace.   
"You deserve the universe Hope. And you deserve to be able to choose what you do with it. But you also deserve a family. If I was in your position, I would feel trapped too. I'm not used to being told what to do, but isn't it nice sometimes? To not have to be responsible?"  
"I guess." She always felt guilty when complaining about her family to James. He only had his Grandpa left. And he was 83 and dying of cancer.  
"Besides. You're only sixteen. There's plenty of time for rebellion later."   
"You're right."  
"I know. I usually am." She elbowed him.   
"I'll call Marcel. He will get us home and hopefully tell my parents for me."  
"Good."

\---///---///---///---///---///---////---

Hope righted her chair when the seatbelt sign switched on.  
"Hope?"  
"Yeah?"  
"This was fun."  
"It was. We should do it again some time."  
"Except we can ask next time."  
"I guess it wouldn't kill me."

In the end Marcel had agreed to tell the Mikaelsons where Hope ended up. And that she had compelled James into going with her. They didn't want him to get in trouble with any of the Original family. They'd been put on a plane and sent home; James to face his Grandpa, Hope to face several weeks of groundings and an Elijah Lecture or two. She was glad in a bittersweet way. She had figured out years ago that Kol couldn't leave New Orleans, and she missed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might continue with a part 2 of this later, but for now let's leave it there.
> 
> I have chapter 7 mostly written so hopefully it's up in a few days.


End file.
